The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system has been established for broadcasting alert messages to wireless communication devices. Alert messages may be generated by local, state, and national agencies such as emergency management authorities, law enforcement agencies, weather services, etc.
Alert messages can be specific to different geographic regions and may contain textual warnings regarding immediate hazards in those regions such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, flash floods, hurricanes, typhoons, and other serious weather-related events. Alert messages may also give instructions, such as evacuation notices. Alert messages may also be issued regarding missing persons (e.g., AMBER alerts). Alert messages may include “Presidential” alerts regarding national emergencies. Presentation of the alert to the mobile user includes display of the alert text, audible alerting, and vibration (visual, auditory, touch). An alert may display information regarding the type of the alert, any actions that should be taken, and the agency that has issued the alert.
A user of a wireless communication device can decline to receive certain types of WEA alerts. A communication device that supports WEA messages may include configuration settings, accessible through a graphical user interface (GUI), that allows the user to enable or disable the different message types.